tunnel vision
Americannoun
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a drastically narrowed field of vision, as in looking through a tube, symptomatic of retinitis pigmentosa.
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the tendency to look at things from only one point of view; prejudice or narrow-mindedness.
All empires invariably produce a kind of tunnel vision.
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a fixation on only one objective, course of action, etc..
These special interest groups operate with defiantly single-minded tunnel vision.
noun
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a condition in which peripheral vision is greatly restricted
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narrowness of viewpoint resulting from concentration on a single idea, opinion, etc, to the exclusion of others
Usage
What does tunnel vision mean? Literally, tunnel vision is a term meaning that the edges of your vision are lost and only central focus remains, as if you were looking through a tunnel. Figuratively, it is a lack of perspective caused by intense focus on one object, leading to neglect of your surroundings and responsibilities or being closed off to other viewpoints. How do you pronounce tunnel vision?[ tuhn-l vizh-uhn ]
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tunnel vision
First recorded in 1940–45
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Do the Shetland Islands need a tunnel vision?
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
One theory was that Ford suffered from tunnel vision.
From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2026
But you can go further, by getting AI to point out the patterns that lead to tunnel vision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 21, 2026
For instance, it would be easy to get tunnel vision and focus on preparing for water scarcity, only to accidentally make a town more vulnerable to flooding in the process, Swain pointed out.
From Salon ● Jan. 14, 2025
Yet, in interviews with police officers who have been involved with shootings, these same details appear again and again: extreme visual clarity, tunnel vision, diminished sound, and the sense that time is slowing down.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
